History Of A Different Time
by andrea16465
Summary: What if Mulder got stuck in 1939 instead of going home? What would happen between him and the 1939 Scully? Set during/post Triangle. Chapter 4 now up.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is based on the episode "Triangle" from season six. The characters or original episode do not belong to me.**

"Pull him onboard, pull him onboard. Is he dead? Well he will be soon in you keep hurting him like that," Mulder vaguely heard voices around him, zoning in and out of consciousness.

When he finally came to, he was disoriented. Scully was standing over his bed holding a glass of water. Her hair was curled and she was a casual blue dress with little frills on the side. The lighting was dim, but he could still see everything.

"Where am I?" What happened?" A sudden rush of memory flooded his brain and he tried to sit up. "No, wait. When am I?" She raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Before you jumped overboard, you said something about a time warp and getting back to history. Well, I guess your own time period didn't want you because it's still 1939," She handed him the water.

He laid back down, letting his head hit the mattress hard, then regretting it. He sat up again, rubbing the back of his head. He winced.

"I thought that if I jumped, someone would find me and I could go back to my own time."

"Which is when?"

"1998," He said carefully, gauging her reaction. She rolled her eyes, unconvinced.

"Ok, whatever. To answer your first two questions, you are in my room aboard the Queen Anne. As of about an hour ago, we are heading back to the America's. We will be there in about two days. I turned the ship around because you asked me to, but now I'm having doubts. You said you would go back to your time, but you didn't. What else could you be lying about? What will we do when we get there? They're not expecting us at port, and what will we do when we get there?"

"Alright, we will deliver your scientist to the CIA and he can create the atomic bomb. Do you have a place in America?" He asked.

"Yes I do. I may be a G-Woman, but they do pay me a lot to do this stuff. Let me guess, you don't?"

"Yeah, about that, I kinda need a place to stay for awhile. I'll give you all the money I have on me, but I don't have a bank account in this century," he stated sheepishly.

She looked into his hazel eyes and thought it over quickly. He was so handsome, but the cute ones were always spies, so there was a certain risk involved. He seemed to be telling the truth, but there was no way to tell, so she took a risk.

"You can stay with me, but you are going to have to work for it." She looked at the rest of his body, "You seem to be dry enough. Can you move?" He lifted an arm straight into the air. "Good, come with me. We took the ship back from the Nazis and they're serving a meal right now. You need to eat after what you've been through."

He looked at her curiously. It was the same Scully all right, still a doctor at heart, trying to take care of him, to make sure he was ok. He stood up, only a little light headed and walked around the cabin. He quickly found the wooden door, opened it, and held it open for the woman he'd known for almost six years. Six years of trust, gone right out the window. It had literally taken her years to start trusting him. He supposed she wouldn't approve of most of his more radical theories, so he made a mental note to keep them to himself. And on top of it all, he had kissed her.

They walked side by side, not talking, not looking at each other. Scully was deep in thought. Did she imagine it? Did he really kiss her? She recalled it clearly. She thought she saw something in his eyes before his lips touched hers. It wasn't passion, maybe lust, but she suspected it was something more. Then again it was dark. There was no doubt he was good looking, but it was like he saw right through her. Like he'd known her for years. She didn't know what to make of it.

When they finally go to the dining room, it was a relief for both of them. They got their food and headed toward a secluded table in the back.

"So, when we get back, are you going straight back to work or…"

"I have some vacation time coming up and I think I could use it."

"Good."

"So why don't you explain some things to me, like how you know things about me. Why you seem to see straight through me. I feel like we've met before, but I'm sure I'd remember you." She was so curious.

He chuckled, knowing she wouldn't believe him, "I'll tell you later, I promise. Right now, I just wanna have fun. We are on a luxury liner after all." She glared at him sourly. "May I have this dance?" He held out his hand toward her, and for the first time, she heard the slow music and singer in the background.

She took his hand cautiously. He led her to the middle of the dance floor and placed his hand on her waist. She put her hand in his and her other hand on his shoulder, and they danced slowly to the rhythm of the music.

He was a good dancer. She could tell by his rhythm, even though it was a slow song. It wasn't so much his footwork, but the way in which he moved. His hips swayed as though he had done this many times before. She found herself impressed more than usual by this revelation. She had met plenty of men who knew how to dance, but somehow none of them compared to this stranger.

When the dance was done, he led her by the hand back to the table to finish the meal.

As soon as they were both done, he once again offered her his arm and they left the crowded room.

**I have three stories going on right now, and I have no idea how I am going to be able to keep them all going. Ideas are appreciated, as are reviews (which I love, so don't be shy.) I am still looking for a beta, someone I can bounce ideas off of, or someone to cowrite a story (not necessarily this one.) Anyway, this week is going to be hell for me. I have a math test, a science test, and a world history test. On top of it all, I have to prepare every day for my daily tutoring session because if I didn't I wouldn't know what to teach. Anyway, someone email me because I need some comic relief. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay! I finally got the chance to update. I get so bored in World History! While she's talking, I just write and write for an hour and a half. It's just that boring. LOL. I hope you like the new chapter!**

"Where are we going?" She asked, bewildered by his behavior. He had her hand in his firm, yet gentle grip and they were walking through the halls of the Queen Anne. She had thought they were heading back to her room, but he had taken a right instead of a left at the first corridor.

"Here," He finally stopped at a large wooden door.

"Where is here?" She inquired. "And how could you possibly know where this place was if you hadn't been on this ship before. Apparently you haven't had time to explore the ship since you're from the future and all. So how do you know this is here?"

"I followed the signs," He pointed toward a light blue arrow behind them.

"Oh," she said sheepishly, blushing scarlet.

"On the way to the dining room, I saw it and I thought I'd take you here."

She felt like a teenager on a first date. She soon began reprimanding herself for even thinking about it. His hand felt warm in hers as he led her out to the deck. She had done her research by reading the brochure. She realized that this was the deck that it was talking about. The little white pamphlet said that this deck had one of the most beautiful and romantic views on the entire ship. She had to admit, the brochure didn't lie. But it wasn't a date, it was just a place to talk…or whatever he wanted to do.

He let go of her hand and almost immediately she missed the contact. He strode out and put his forearms on the railing. She followed behind him and stood next to him.

"So…"

"So I suppose I should explain myself. My name is Fox Mulder," she let out a chuckle at his name. "Not funny. You know, you are never going to believe me anyway, so what's the point? Everything else has been the same here, so why not this? You'll just be the same old Scully. The skeptic, the scientist, the unbeliever."

"How do you know my name?"

"That's part of the story I suppose-"

"You do know that's only my last name. You can call me Dana if you want," he smirked at that.

"Ok. You really want to know?" She nodded quickly. "I'm from the future- now hear me out, please. I am from the year 1998 and I work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. You've heard of it? Good. My FBI partner is Agent Dana Scully, ridiculous I know. She looks and acts exactly like you. She's 5'2, blue eyes, the most beautiful red hair, and she's a kick-ass kind of woman."

"This is preposterous Fox-"

"MULDER." He cut in quickly.

"This is preposterous MULDER. If time travel was even possible, which it's not, what are the odds that your partner looks exactly like me AND even has the same name as me?"

"Now that you put it that way, pretty slim I guess. But you should see her Scully, she looks exactly like you. Anyway, in my time period, the Queen Anne disappeared in 1936, never to be seen or heard from again. That is, until about a day ago from my perspective. Some of my friends gave me satellite pictures of it and I had to investigate. When I did, I found all of you here. The Nazi's that took over the ship, the one that saved us from getting shot, I knew them all."

Wow. That was a really crazy story. Probably too crazy to make up, but that only left the possibility that he was telling the truth. She didn't believe his entire story, but she believed in parts of it. The parts about him knowing who everyone was, maybe the part about the FBI. But she still didn't know what to think.

"Why did you kiss me?" she asked abruptly. His eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected her to ask him about it.

He took a moment to think about what he was going to say. This could make her trust him or make her hate him, depending on what he said. He decided to take the risk, to tell her the truth.

"Dana, my partner Scully is a very beautiful woman. It would be difficult to work with someone that attractive for as long as we have been together without developing…feelings for the other person. And it wasn't just her looks either. She was a scientist, and she loved to prove my wild theories wrong. She was smart and used her head. Scully had an uncanny knack for pulling ideas out of her ass. Sorry." He took a break only because he was running out of breath.

"Did you love her?"

He answered carefully, "We were best friends. Of course I loved her."

"You know what I mean. Were you in love with her?"

He took a deep breath, "Yes I was."

Even though she had suspected his answer, she was still stunned by him admitting it to her face. He was in love with a woman with the same last name as her, that looked exactly like her, and that acted exactly like her too.

"And you kissed me because…"

"Because I thought there was a chance that I might die out there in that godforsaken ocean. I couldn't die without knowing what her lips felt like, without even giving her the slightest indication of how I felt about her."

"So you kissed me. You showed me how you felt about her." Another question popped into her head. "So are you saying since I'm like an exact copy of her, that you're in love with me?"

"I think I've told you enough for now." She opened her mouth to protest, but a look from him silenced her.

"You should know that I'm morbidly curious." He smiled and offered her his hand. She took it and he led her off the deck.

The pair walked slowly back to their room.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get you another room besides mine. The rooms that weren't damaged by the fight are being used as holding cells for the Nazi prisoners."

"It's okay. You have already put so much faith in me and I could never ever pay you back," Mulder said warmly, his eyes finding hers.

"I'm sure we'll come to some kind of an agreement."

A sudden thought crossed her mind. What would her family think? A man that they had never met was going to be moving in with her. Her brother Charlie would think it was cool. Her mother would force her to the nearest church to go to confession. Her brother Bill… well he would just be the typical older brother.

As they approached their room, Mulder looked down at her to find her staring off into space, seemingly lost in her own little world.

"Scully… Scully… Dana!" She snapped out of, shaking her head quickly. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired. It's been a long day."

"Dana… you do know that there's only one bed in our room." Her head shot up swiftly, realizing that the only way to make it work was to share a bed.

**So… tell me how you liked it. It was kind of hard for me to write for some reason. Please read and REVIEW!!! I LOVE reviews and will most likely message you back if you give me one. My psychic said that cowriting another story with someone is in my future, so if you want to, message me please. Thanks! R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I am so pathetic! I haven't updated this story in so long. So now I'm bored and feel obligated to write another chapter. I was telling Erin the other day that most writers have the attention span of a flea and I wasn't lying. Seriously, I change my mind on what to write every day. I want to write a new story every single day. Then I get mad at myself because I haven't even finished the ones I have started. Luckily, I have the time to update today. Aren't you all happy??? This chapter takes place as they dock at port because I couldn't think of anything else to have them do during their two days on the ship. R&R!!!**

Mulder and Scully were startled when the boat shook roughly. They had been sleeping. At first, the bed seemed daunting, almost unapproachable. Soon enough, they both scooted into the small bed on opposite sides. Every morning, they would find themselves intertwined with each other. The first day it was facing each other with his hand on her upper thigh. The second day it was him on his back with her entire body thrown over him. Now, it was his chest against her back and his arm around her stomach. Mulder sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes.

She liked the feeling of waking up next to a man. It had been so long since she had been with anyone. She couldn't remember a day when she woke up warm. The past few days had been bliss for her. They spent their days roaming the ship and checking on prisoners. Sometimes they saw the soldier that saved them. It seemed the entire crew had taken a liking to him. Rumor has it that he did something extremely brave during the fight. Neither of them knew but the women were swooning. Whenever someone mentioned it, Mulder would chuckle loudly at his own private joke. During meals they got their food and headed for the balcony they had visited the first day. There was never an awkward moment. They talked about everything from work to how they each grew up. Contrary to her first impression, he didn't know everything about her. He knew her current habits and beliefs, but she found that he didn't know anything about her past. Apparently the Dana Scully he knew was a very private person.

Over the two days they were on that ship, Mulder realized that this Scully was like a twin of the other one. They were mostly the same, but there were still differences. Her morals, values, and attitude were still the same, but she was looser than his Scully. His Scully had not talked a lot about her personal life because they worked together, but he didn't work with this Scully, so she was less uneasy about telling him certain things. When he got back to his own time, his goal was to shock Scully with his intimate knowledge of her life. He found out so many things that he didn't know before. What she was like when she was younger, who she went to prom with, the names of all of her boyfriends, who she had her first time with. Oh yeah, Scully would be shocked.

They weren't dating yet but they weren't just friends. So what were they? Mulder pondered this while getting out of bed. He walked over to the window and looked out. They had docked at port already. His face fell into a grimace. It had been the perfect two days. Now it was back to reality, to work, to figuring out how to get home. It really had been paradise. Every night they went to bed on different sides of the bed promising them that they wouldn't move. Yet each morning they woke up in each other's arms. If Scully wasn't such a skeptic she would call it fate.

"Mulder what's going on?"

"We're back." Her eyes lit up and then her face fell. She was also disappointed.

"Well there will be people waiting for me when we get off. I have to explain about these prisoners. I will tell them you are a hero and you will be staying with me for the time being."

"How will you explain why I'm not on the passenger list?"

"You are from a rural area in England and were on a fishing trip with two of your friends. Your boat was destroyed by the Nazis and we rescued you," she said confidently.

"Alright. Here, I'll carry your things," he said as he picked up her tiny bag. He opened the door and walked out of the room, Scully following close behind him. They walked all the way to the exit, where there were four men in black suits there.

"Agent Scully, I trust you have a good explanation for why all of the passengers are telling their families about a Nazi takeover and prisoners," the tallest man said roughly, presumably the leader or highest ranking of the four.

"Of course I do. I'll explain on the train. Balet, Laketes, Oring, Perter, this is Fox Mulder, he prefers to be called Mulder. He'll be staying with me at my place for a while."

"Awww… the ice queen has a boyfriend. How cute," shouted the man with the broad shoulders, elbowing his buddies. Scully rolled her eyes.

"Can we go now?"

The train ride was filled with questions and answers. The men in black asked questions about where he came from, who he was, and what happened on the ship. Mulder and Scully gave them the cover story and they happily bought it. When they were done, the men in black started writing up their reports. Soon after, they arrived at a large station.

"Miss Scully, there is a black car waiting for you in the lot. The driver will take you back to your house and we will see you tomorrow. Get some rest. You can drive in tomorrow and give your report and I'm sure the director will give you some paid leave or mental health days because of the ordeal you have been through."

She nodded and grabbed Mulder's hand. As much as she didn't want this bliss to end, she wanted to go home and see her family, sleep in her own bed, eat edible food. She spotted the black car in the lot and pulled him toward it. He staggered along behind her, carrying her bag.

"Get in the car. It should take about an hour to get to my house. Oh hey George." She waved to the driver and smiled. He waved back a little too enthusiastically in Mulder's opinion.

"Cars in these days were so small! How do you survive?"

"You do know this is the best car this century has to offer?" He barked out a laugh.

"In my century, cars can go as fast as 200 miles, they have internal navigation systems, and they are certainly bigger than this."

"Well sorry to disappoint you. Next you're going to tell me that people in your century drive with their feet."

"Not yet, but someday they probably will."

"What the hell are you talking about?" the driver asked curiously. He probably thought they were insane. For Christ's sake they were talking about the future. He had no idea about what was going on. They both made mental notes to keep all talk about the future to themselves or when the two of them were alone.

"Uh… he's from a place pretty far away and he's not used to things here," Scully said, remembering their cover story.

"Oh, I didn't know the rest of the world had different kinds of cars." They both exhaled a sigh of relief.

Scully put her head down on Mulder's shoulder. He looked at her and found that she seemed to be exhausted. He decided that he would let her sleep until they got to her house.

"Shhhh… sleep. I'll wake you up when we get there." She moaned in response, and he chuckled.

Forty-five minutes later, the compact car pulled into a long, dirt driveway and a large cottage came into view. It was made of bricks, but it was extremely modern for the day. He guessed it had been built within the last three years. It really was beautiful. There were flowers in the garden and a trail behind the dwelling that led into green forest.

George opened the trunk, got the bag, and walked it over to the front porch. He set it down and walked back to Mulder.

"You gonna wake her up?"

He told her he would, but she looked so peaceful and cute. He made up his mind to not wake her. He put one arm under her knees and one under her arms and scooped her up bridal style. He carried her into the house. There was a couch a little to the left of where he was standing, so he set her down on it.

He ran back outside to George and pulled out five dollars from his pocket. It looked like it had been through the washer and the dryer, but he guessed it was still good.

"Here man, see you around."

"Thanks," he grabbed the money, got in the car, and drove off. Mulder idily wondered if money in this century was worth more than money in his century.

Mulder walked back into the house, shutting the door behind him quietly. He looked over at Scully sleeping on the couch and smiled. He walked around the house leisurely, looking in every room. The kitchen was painted yellow with light colored cupboards and windows that let so much light in. A small table on wheels was in the room as well. The bathroom was a two foot high pot that seemed to drain straight into the ground below the house. There was no sink or shower. He made another mental note to ask her about that. The bedroom was a king sized four poster bed with a maroon red quilt on top of it. There was a rocking chair in the corner situated next to a dresser.

He walked back into the living room and glanced around. There was the couch Scully was situated on and across from it was another couch and a chair. From there, he went around back and opened a screen door that led to a sunroom with a coffee table and cushy chairs. He smiled. This was so Scully. Everything about this house represented her personality, or at least the 1939 Scully.

He heard something rustling in the living room so he went back to investigate.

"Mulder, you promised you would wake me up!" she pouted, sticking out her lower lip.

"Sorry, you just looked so comfortable," he said apologetically.

"You know, if you had to drop me off somewhere, could it have at least been in the bedroom." He cringed.

"I said I was sorry, okay. I just finished exploring the house and I think it's lovely. It's so you."

"That doesn't make up for the backache I'm sure I'll have in a few hours."

"I'll give you a massage if you want," he said, waggling his eyebrows at her.

She rolled her eyes, "I may just have to take you up on that."

Oh yeah, this Scully was way looser.

There was a soft knock on the door. Scully rose slowly to see who it was. When she did, her eyes widened in shock.

"Quick. Hide in my bedroom!" He dashed into the bedroom. He could hear voices from the other room.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

"You weren't supposed to be back for another week. I saw the tire tracks and it looked like someone just left, so I decided to knock."

"But why were you coming here in the first place?"

"Dana, you asked me to housesit."

"Sorry Mom, I'm just tired. It was a long trip and I really want to get to sleep. Could you come back tomorrow? I promise I'll be in a better mood."

During this entire exchange Mulder was trying to peer through a crack in the door. When it was unsuccessful, he gave up and moved to sit down in the rocking chair. He instantly regretted it. The chair was old and when he did sit down, it creaked loudly.

"What was that?"

"It's probably just mice or something. Nothing to get worked up about. I'll take care of it later."

"But you can't sleep in the same room as mice. I'll just go in there and check."

"No Mom. Seriously, I got it."

The handle of the door turned and a woman slightly taller than Scully walked in. When she saw him, she shrieked.

"Dana, there's someone in here! Get your gun and come quick!"

"Shhhh. It's okay. I'm a friend of Dana's," Mulder said, trying to get her to calm down.

"Nice going, idiot. Don't you know that those stupid chairs squeak?"

"Who is this?" her mother asked, still clearly alarmed.

"Uh…This is Fox Mulder… my umm…"

"Her boyfriend," Mulder cut in, smirking.

"My what? Oh right. My-" she gulped, "Boyfriend."

"Oh. I wasn't under the impression that my daughter had a boyfriend. Why I wasn't informed I don't know but I wish I was," she glared at her daughter.

"This is a really bad time Mom. We'll come 'round your place tomorrow."

"Fine, I'll just let myself out."

They heard the front door slam shut. Scully scratched the top of her head guiltily. He realized that she had just volunteered both of them to go over to her mother's when she was clearly mad at both of them. He knew their family was old fashioned, but he didn't know how old fashioned. For all he knew, Scully's mother could hate him forever because she thought they were sleeping together. Now that he thought about it… finding a strange man in her daughter's bedroom when her daughter wasn't even supposed to be home yet…. It sounded like they were just trying to get alone time.

"Is your mother really mad or-"

"She'll get over it. She's been urging me to get a boyfriend for the longest time. So it probably was a good thing that you said you were my boyfriend. I just wasn't prepared for it. I think she was just pissed because she didn't know. I think she'll like you. But the one you really have to work to please is my brother."

"Bill, yes. I met him a few times. He seems… nice." She snorted loudly.

"Thanks for trying. He's not nice at all. He's just trying to be a brother but sometimes I think he takes it a little too seriously. He would hate you. No offense," she looked down.

"Hey, I'm going to do my best to make your family like me. I'll keep my crazy theories to myself and I won't act like a total crackpot," he tilted her chin up so his eyes met hers.

"Right. I'd like to see that."

He got up out of the chair and brushed past her slowly. "I'm going to make dinner. What do you feel like?"

"I don't know, maybe you could make a sandwich or something. There are tomatoes and herbs in the garden and I have all of the ingredients for bread in the pantry."

"Wait, you actually have to make bread? You can't just buy it already made?"

"No, how would you preserve it? You are seriously screwed up, you know that."

He walked outside and started picking herbs from the garden. They were well cultivated and extremely ripe. He speculated whether he could try to make improvements to this Scully's life or whether it would just make everything worse. He could try and set up another plumbing system or design a refrigerator type machine or invent something like Fritos. He could do a lot to improve this world, but he knew in the back of his mind that he couldn't alter history any more than just being there. For now, improvements to Scully's life would have to do.

Scully was kneading the bread when he got back inside. He hands were covered in flour and it looked like she was almost done. She plopped the bread in a small pan and shoved it into what looked like an oven. He grabbed a cutting board and a sharp knife and started chopping the vegetables into fine pieces. She checked on the bread every two minutes and it was done at the same time he finished cutting.

She removed the hot pan from the oven and set it on the counter. She grabbed the knife he was using and cut along the edges and flipped the pan upside down on top of a plate. It came out perfectly as she cut it into sandwich size pieces. Once they had made the sandwiches that they wanted, they set their plates down on the table and got some water from a storage container.

"A toast-" she raised her eyebrows, "To a good meal and many more to come." They clinked their glasses together and started eating what was sure to be the first of many meals the two of them would share.

**I wrote this on two different days so if one section seems different than the other, that's why. I based Scully's house on my grandparent's house and I have no idea how I managed to finish this chapter. I just love how Mulder is so clueless. I think in the next chapter Scully is going to have to bring Mulder to work with her and they will have to explain their story. We will also see Skinner again and then maybe we will get to meet Scully's siblings. You know, the one thing I never understood about this episode was where the 1939 Mulder was. I mean I know it was all supposedly in his head but still… You have no idea how much research this story needs for it to be realistic. I know nothing about 1939 so every time I write something about their surroundings, I have to go one Google to make sure it is "historically accurate." Anyway, I'll try to update again soon. PLEASE review!!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Once again, I am so pathetic. I haven't updated in like 3 or 4 weeks. I just finished with my finals and I had a lot of extra time, so I took some time out of my classes to write this. I don't know why, but I suddenly find Thomas Dekker really hot. I mean, I always knew he was cute, but lately every time I watch Terminator, I squeal, "Oh my God, it's HIM." Oh yeah, my parents think I'm crazy.**

"I don't know. What do you think?"

"God. I don't give a damn about what colors the curtains are."

"Just make a choice. Blue or green?" Scully said, holding up a sample in each hand.

"Why do you choose now to redecorate?" Mulder moaned, running a hand through his messy hair.

"I told you, I've been wanting to do it for a while now and since you are going to be living here, I think you should have some say in it. And besides, you are the perfect second opinion."

"But seriously, the color of our curtains?"

"You said _our,_ implying that it is _our_ house. So that means you have to be at least fifty percent responsible for all the decisions about it." She was surprised when he'd referred to the house as theirs, as though he had been living her with her for years. She quickly recovered and gave a clever response.

Dana's mother had just left about an hour ago, and once the two of them were done laughing at the look on her face, she pressured him into looking at fabrics and colors. They were surprised at how easily both of them had fallen into easy banter, pretending it was _their_ house. It was too easy for both of them to pretend that they had known each other for years. But they hadn't. In reality, which they certainly weren't in, they had only known each other for a few days. For the first time, it didn't really matter to her. She strongly believed that even if they had known each other for centuries, nothing would be different than it was now.

For Mulder, life in this time period wasn't as bad as he had thought. The fact that he was living with Scully now made it all worthwhile. He tried not to think about the eventuality that he might have to go home. It's not that he didn't want to return to his Scully, it just seemed that this one was more open to certain possibilities. He still loved his Scully, but he didn't know if she would return the affection. This Scully could, or at least she had suggested that she could love him back. That was a majority of the reason he wasn't obsessing over finding a way back. They could never be just friends again, and he was afraid of her rejecting him.

"While I may be living here, that doesn't mean that I should be subjected to this torture, though other forms of torture are readily accepted," he winked at her.

She rolled her eyes, turned a darker shade of pink, and set down the green sample. She held the blue in front of her eyes and bit her lip lightly. She tilted her head slightly to the side and sighed candidly.

"I like the blue one better too."

Her eyes lit up and she grinned. "Listen, I'm gonna wait to order then until it sinks in with both of us. Don't want to change our minds and have to take them back, right?"

He groaned, "There better be a reward for this."

"I'm sure I'll think of something," she said suggestively.

Mulder's head snapped up and he raised his eyebrows. She was grinning with her eyes trained on the blue silk. She was really going heavy on the innuendo lately. Not that he minded, but it was so unlike her that he had to laugh. So similar, but so different.

"So what do you want to do now?"

"Well since we have a meeting with my boss tomorrow and we are due at my mother's, I want to get some sleep tonight. But until then, we could take a walk in the forest. There's a nice trail back there."

He looked surprised. "A nature walk?"

"Don't think of it like that. You make it sound so boring. There's a lake and a dock back there. I also have a stray dog that lives about a quarter of a mile in. His name is Queequeg and I usually bring food out to him. He must be starving by now."

"Ah, the real reason is revealed."

"Yeah, I'm gonna take some bread out to him."

He went back to the living room where he had callously thrown his shoes on the carpet. He jammed his foot into one, then the other. Scully, on the other hand, was much more graceful. She daintily slipped both of her shoes on at the same time, with what bread they could spare in her hand.

"Before I forget, we need to talk about some of your habits." She gestured to where his shoes had been.

"You know what, a nature walk is just what I need. Nothing like the fresh air to get my inner interior decorator going."

"Ugh."

She grabbed his hand and tugged him harshly out the door, slamming it behind her.

"So since you are from the future, this whole place must be destroyed. Cars, houses, factories, what's here in your time period? Are there even any forests?" she asked, walking backwards slowly, facing him. She looked over her shoulder to prevent a collision with a large branch.

"I've never been here exactly, so I couldn't tell you. I can tell you that there are a lot of forests though. We go into them quite often investigating things. More often than I'd like to think about," he shuddered when his unconscious mind brought up the case with the forest people. They could camouflage themselves almost perfectly, but somehow they had found them. Mulder remembered that he was worried for Scully's life after that incident. One of them had never been found. He flushed almost imperceptibly when he remembered how he head was in her lap. He was in shock, but he still managed to enjoy the moment.

"You're not going to tell me what that is supposed to mean, are you?"

"No, probably not."

"She rolled her eyes. "Okay then, here's the beginning of the trail. We have to walk about a quarter of a mile to get to his 'den.' I made it for him and he seems to like it."

They walked in relative silence, only speaking when Mulder held out his hand to her occasionally to help her get past an obstacle. It wasn't awkward for them, as one might think. They were both reflecting on the past few days and discretely studying each other.

"We're here." It was a clearing scattered with dog toys, food and shed hair.

"Queequeg!" A miniature dog came trotting up to them. If Mulder hadn't already known the dog, he would have thought that it was just a rat with a lot of fur. He cringed as he remembered how the one he knew died.

She hand fed the dog the bread, giving some to Mulder. He put his hand out to the dog. Its tongue was like sandpaper, licking up and down his hand to get the last remnants of the bread off his fingers. He pulled his hand back and discreetly wiped the slobber on the back of his pants.

She giggled, "He's cute, isn't he?"

"Adorable," he said sarcastically.

"I've been thinking of making him and indoor dog and keeping him with me. I don't know. It's just a thought." He knew that face. She was subtlety telling him to think about it. Almost undetectable to anyone else, he knew the signs. She would probably be eternally grateful if he were to agree.

"I suppose I'll think about it too," he sighed. He saw victory in her eyes and knew that it was worth it.

"Let's go down to the dock."

They started walking, the feline not far behind. Mulder had never seen her like this. She seemed generally happy. She was practically dancing across the trail, humming a familiar tune. He looked straight forward and stopped dead in his tracks. It was so amazing, he'd never seen anything like it before. The water was so blue it was almost crystal clear. You could see straight to the bottom, where the sand was sitting there, no rocks in sight. He could see the small moving blobs that he assumed were goldfish. He was standing on sand, beach sand if he was correct. In front of him, the dock extended about ten feet out and the wood seemed to reflect the sun's light back at it.

"Wow."

Scully started walking slowly, slipping off her shoes delicately. "You really like it?"

He looked at her curiously. Of course he liked it. How could he not? Everything was beautiful, so perfect. He nodded once. She walked all of the way down to the end of the dock, Queequeg in tow. She unceremoniously plopped down on the end, putting her toes in the water. He watched as the surface tension was broken and small ripples formed. He slipped his shoes and socks off as well, walking out to her. He sat down slowly.

"Can you swim in here?"

"Of course. There are fish, like the one's I'm sure you've seen already. The harmless kind. There aren't any rocks or sharks," she winked, "although some things here may bite."

"Okay." He launched himself from sitting position on the dock to standing in the water. It went up to about his waist, but he could tell that it got deeper farther out. The water was warm, just the right temperature. To prevent his shirt from getting wet, he pulled it over his head and threw it into her shocked figure. His pants were already soaking wet and he didn't think she'd appreciate him taking off his pants now, no matter how much innuendo she threw at him.

She just sat there, staring at him. His perfectly toned muscles seemed to shine as the sun shone on them. He ran a hand through his tousled hair, waiting for her to say something. He raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to say something when she snapped out of it and interrupted him.

"Don't say anything," she said, blushing furiously.

"Care to join me?" he waggled his eyes suggestively.

"Nope," she sighed and rolled her eyes.

He pouted and he eyes lit up. "I know you want to."

"No I don't."

"You are so stubborn."

"Yup."

"You said yes!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her in with him gently. She tried to resist, but her 5'2 figure was nothing compared to his 5'11 form that towered over her.

She shrieked. "You tricked me!"

"Yup. But you know you like it."

"It's quite warm," she admitted reluctantly.

"Sorry I got your clothes wet."

"It's alright. It's not like this is the only pair I own." She smiled at him.

"I could get used to this."

"What?"

"This whole being in the past thing. I thought it would really bug me. None of the luxuries I grew up with. But you know, this is like the life I always wanted. Almost secluded, a beautiful woman with me, a happy life…"

She blushed again, this time more out of happiness than embarrassment. "I guess the only thing missing from my life was a big strong man protecting me. And since I have that now, I'm happy," she started out playful, but turned serious at the end.

They splashed each other good-naturedly, and then pulled themselves back up on the dock. They walked hand in hand through the forest back toward the cottage.

"I guess Queequeg will be staying with us too, then?"

"You betcha."

"Oh God."

"What would you do without me?"

"I have no idea."

**Alright, what do you think? I thought it was okay, not my best, but still… I really want to get this posted because I feel like I have kept people waiting long enough. You know what I need? I NEED REVIEWS! They make my day and may be the only thing that keeps me going. Isn't that sad? I just ate an entire carton of Moose Tracks ice cream and I'm on a sugar high. Do I sound high to you? I don't know, I feel like I can't stop writing. I'm going to update my other stories…maybe…If I feel like it…REVIEW!!!!**


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